Raspberries
by authorinprogress97
Summary: She always smelled like raspberries, and it was slowly driving him crazy. Shikamaru/Katsumi OC one-shot


_**Hey peeps! I'm back with Katsumi and Shikamaru! I don't know if it's any good, but I hope ya'll like it **_

_**Summary: She always smelled like raspberries, and it was slowly driving him crazy.**_

_**Disclaimer:**_

_**Me: (whines) Aww, do I **_**have**_** to?**_

_**Kiba: (rolls eyes) Come on Alex. Just get it over with.**_

_**Me: (pouts) Fine… I don't own any recognizable characters. I **_**do**_** however own Katsumi and Akemi. There! Happy now? (Glares at Kiba)**_

_**Kiba: (grins) Yeah! Now, let's go get some ramen!**_

_**Me: (grins back) Okay! Enjoy the story while I go have a date with Kiba!**_

_**Kiba: Matte! I didn't say-! (gets dragged off by me to Ichiraku)**_

_***ShikaSumi***_

Raspberries.

That was the first thing that always came to Shikamaru's mind whenever he thought of his best friend, Katsumi.

He didn't know if it was her body wash or if she just naturally smelled that way, but it was beginning to drive him crazy. Whenever she was near, he'd catch a whiff of her intoxicating scent, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

It probably didn't help that they were sharing the same apartment with her twin, Kiba. Any time she came home, the first thing that would indicate her presence was the smell of raspberries punctuating the air.

He thought it suited her. The scent wasn't overpowering, but it wasn't the most subtle scent. It was wild and strong, just like Katsumi. And it absolutely drove him crazy, just like she did.

"Ne, Shika? What are you thinking about?" he head a familiar voice ask as he lay in his favourite cloud watching spot with his eyes closed. The scent of raspberries assaulted his nose and he suppressed a groan. This was driving him _crazy_!

He cracked an eye open, seeing Katsumi leaning over him, head tilted to the side. He sighed. _What a drag…_

"I thought you were out on a mission," he stated, closing his eyes again. He had a feeling she was rolling her eyes as she plopped down next to him, her weight flattening the grass as she lay down next to him.

"I was. I'm obviously not now," she answered. His nose twitched as the scent of raspberries intensified, engulfing him. This was getting ridiculous… and troublesome. It was quiet for a moment before Katsumi spoke up. "You're not going to ask me how it went?"

He rolled his eyes slightly as he opened them once again, turning to look at her. "Since you're here, it couldn't have been that bad," he replied lazily.

She flapped her hand dismissively, a hand resting on Akemi's head which was resting on her stomach. "Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't," she replied wearily, shooting him a sly grin. "How will you know unless you ask?"

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.

They lay there in silence, listening to the sound of the breeze rustling the leaves of a nearby tree while Katsumi watched the clouds dotting the sky and Shikamaru tried to fall asleep in vain. The wind was blowing towards him, intensifying the scent. He didn't know if it wanted to make him smile or hit his head against the ground.

Her quiet sigh broke through his thoughts. "Sai's in the hospital. Again," she said quietly, her frustration evident.

He lifted an eyelid lazily, glancing at her. She was looking up at the sky, a frown on her face. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to.

"He was going right for me, and I was ready for it. Then Sai stepped in front of me and just… took it. He didn't have to." Her explanation didn't quite make sense to him, but he had the gist of it.

"So he's okay, right?" he asked after a pause.

He felt her shrug as her hands stroked Akemi's head. "Yeah… he's just out of commission for a while. I just can't help but think if I was _faster_, he wouldn't be hurt."

"What a drag," he sighed out. "You can't blame yourself for something you didn't have any control over."

"Maybe I'll stop if you stop blaming yourself for Asuma's death," she shot back mildly after another pause. Her words made him freeze, but he didn't show any other reaction to that.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied off-handedly, his muscles still tensed.

"You're a genius, Shikamaru. Don't try and play me for a fool. You know exactly what I'm talking about." She sighed as she sat up, looking over at her best friend sadly. His eyes were still closed, but he could still feel her gaze on him.

"I miss you," she whispered softly when he didn't reply. "The _real_ you. I want to hang out with the Shikamaru that played tricks on Iruka-sensei with me and Chouji. The same Shikamaru that would call me troublesome but hang out with me anyway. Not this Shikamaru that's always smoking and drinking. This… this is the few times where I think I've got _my_ Shika back."

He was quiet. He didn't know she felt that way. He knew she was worried about him. Everyone around him was. Yes, it was true that he had killed Hidan, but that didn't make the guilt go away. It just made him painfully aware of how he had lost his sensei. If he had been any slower, he would have probably lost Katsumi too.

She sighed once again, the grass beneath her rustling as she stood up. He heard Akemi bark as Katsumi turned to leave. He heard her pause for a moment.

"You have to stop blaming yourself, Shika," she said softly. "I was there too. You're not alone."

With those parting words, she left, leaving him behind with his thoughts and the lingering scent of raspberries being blown away by the wind.

_***ShikaSumi***_

_**Me: (coughs) Well… the ending was a little bit on the angsty side. I didn't really plan for it to go that way, but oh well… This is a lot shorter than usual too, but demanded to be written.**_

_**Kiba: That was kinda mean, don't you think?**_

_**Me: Oh, and you **_**want**_** me to write a story where Katsumi and Shikamaru are making out or something?**_

_**Kiba: (blushes) I never said that…**_

_**Me: Yeah, well… anyway, please review! I know it's not exactly what you guys expected, but oh well… my mind refuses to think of romance stuff. For now at least.**_

_**~Alex**_


End file.
